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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · chest · last · spell · pass · lean · file · march

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pass — a permit
  16. spell — letters
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — magic
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. last — to go on
  21. lean — thin
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com